Tufts Health Plan Foundation mini-grants build on local momentum

WATERTOWN, MA – Forty community-based organizations each will receive a Momentum Fund mini-grant of up to $10,000 from Tufts Health Plan Foundation. Now in its second year, the fund was established to foster promising ideas and support cities and towns in their efforts to make their communities better places to grow up and grow old. This is the first year Connecticut nonprofits will receive Momentum Fund mini-grants.

“These mini-grants make it possible for organizations to build on community insights,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president of corporate citizenship at Tufts Health Plan. “We know the best ideas come from cities and towns as they reimagine aging.”

The Momentum Fund is supporting 10 projects in Connecticut, 10 in Massachusetts, 10 in Rhode Island and 10 in New Hampshire. Each is community-led, addresses healthy aging and includes older people in the planning and implementation process. The projects address the social determinants of health, including access to healthy food and affordable housing. Several projects provide support for people living with dementia and promote healthy aging in multicultural communities.

“Many of the Momentum Fund recipients are taking on new programs or projects to make their communities more age- and dementia-friendly,” said Phillip González, the Foundation’s senior program officer. “We look forward to learning with them.”

The Foundation convened review committees in each state to inform the grantmaking process. Review committee members have diverse backgrounds and experience, and will ensure that learning and insights are shared across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

The 2019 Momentum Fund grant recipients are:

Connecticut

Center for Food Equity and Economic Development – CCGB
Bridgeport, Conn.
Healthy Connections

LiveWell Alliance, Inc.
Plantsville, Conn.
Memory Cafés

Naugatuck Valley Project, Inc.
Waterbury, Conn.
Intergenerational Housing Project

New Britain ROOTS, Inc.
New Britain, Conn.
Food is Love Project

Nunnawauk Meadows
Newtown, Conn.
Gracefully Growing into the Future- Mind over Matte

The Children’s Community Programs of CT, Inc.
New Haven, Conn.
Needs Assessment

The Towers Foundation
New Haven, Conn.
Klaatch Model

United Way of Western Connecticut Inc
Danbury, Conn.
Age Well CT Ambassador Program

Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging
Waterbury, Conn.
CONNections to Live Well Together

Yoga4Change Inc.
Hamden, Conn.
Curriculum Design

Massachusetts

Dorchester Neighbors
Dorchester, Mass.
Create a Village in Dorchester

Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center Inc.
Boston, Mass.
Memory Café for Asian Seniors

Lynn Shelter Association
Lynn, Mass.
Art Therapy Program

Minuteman Senior Services
Bedford, Mass.
Change of Condition Report Project

Montachusett Enterprise Center, Inc.
Leominster, Mass.
Becoming an Age-Friendly Montachusett Region

Our Neighbors’ Table
Amesbury, Mass.
Using SNAP to increase Senior Food Security

Project Citizenship
Boston, Mass.
Citizenship Services for Older Clients

Watertown for All Ages
Watertown, Mass.
Transportation Initiative for Seniors – Phase II

WestMass ElderCare
Holyoke, Mass.
Cuidadores Unidos (Caregivers United)

YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard
Vinyard Haven, Mass.
Exercise Your Heart in More Ways than One

New Hampshire

Amoskeag Health
Manchester, N.H.
Integrated Geriatric Care Program to Stay Healthy Longer

Concord Community Television
Concord, N.H.
Let’s Get Out and About

Friends Forever Inc
Durham, N.H.
Elder & Youth Collaborative Program Design

Gibson Center for Senior Services
North Conway, N.H.
MWV Age-Friendly – Directory of Volunteer Opportunities

Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, Inc.
Lebanon, N.H.
Experience/Arts in Underserved Communities

MWVADC Memorial Elder Health Services, Memorial Hospital
North Conway, N.H.
Dementia Destigmatized

Seacoast Village Project
New Castle, N.H.
Build an engaged and sustainable volunteer base

Southern District YMCA/Camp Lincoln Inc
Exeter, N.H.
Senior Prescribe the Y

TASC (Transportation Assistance for Seacoast Citizens)
Hampton, N.H.
Peer Mentoring

The Granite YMCA
Manchester, N.H.
Increasing Access to Critical Health and Wellness Programs

Rhode Island

Cranston Senior Services
Cranston, R.I.
Raising Awareness

Family Service of Rhode Island
Providence, R.I.
Aging Creatively: Building Community and Fighting Stigma Through Art

Healthcentric Advisors
Providence, R.I.
Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring Project

Hope’s Harvest Rhode Island
Pawtucket, R.I.
Sharing the Bounty with Aging Rhode Islanders in Need

LMW Healthcare, Inc.
Westerly, R.I.
Age Friendly Westerly Action Team

Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, Inc.
Providence, R.I.
Seniors Serving Seniors

Progreso Latino, Inc.
Central Falls, R.I.
Siempre Contigo-Creating a Dementia Friendly Central Falls

Rhode Island Community Food Bank
Providence, R.I.
Pilot Project: Increasing access to food for low-income seniors

SAGE-RI
Providence, R.I.
Building Community with LGBT Seniors

The Providence Village of Rhode Island
Providence, R.I.
Developing New Villages in Rhode Island